


...Just Because

by Ceares



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-03-01
Updated: 2000-03-01
Packaged: 2017-12-11 11:47:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/798412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceares/pseuds/Ceares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Reuse of Simon's line from Everybody love Blair is deliberate, I do plagerize myself.</p>
    </blockquote>





	...Just Because

**Author's Note:**

> Reuse of Simon's line from Everybody love Blair is deliberate, I do plagerize myself.

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* * *

## ...Just Because

by [Ceares](mailto:Ceares@yahoo.com)  


Author's disclaimer: The boys aren't mine, but after seeing True Crime again, I might just have to hire somebody to steal them for me ;-)

Author's notes: Reuse of Simon's line from Everybody love Blair is deliberate, I do plagerize myself. 

4 more to come, and part 6 will be posted sometimes today

Part 5/Because series (All parts are stand alone. If you do read the series, be aware tone as well as rating varies in each story. All scientific theories, magic rituals etc... completely made up unless otherwise noted. Please forgive any continuity errors, these were written out of order. Feedback appreciated.) 

This is probably the least stand alone of the series, almost an epilogue to ...Because Everybody Loves Blair. And pure smaltz, really, sappy speeches, song lyrics, candles and moonlight, and I promise it's out of my system and will never happen again. The story about the Claddaugh is actually one of the legends attached to the ring. Jim's notes are from the song Amazed, by Lonestar, and from the poem Senses of Insecurity, by Maya Angelou. 

* * *

...Just Because  
[Ceares@yahoo.com](mailto:Ceares@yahoo.com)

"What's up Captain?" 

"You broke him, you fix him." 

Jim looked at Simon questioningly. "Ah Captain, what exactly are you talking about?" 

Simon gestured towards the bullpen. "Sandburg. I thought that little binding or bonding or whatever was supposed to fix everything." 

Jim shrugged. "Well it did Simon. No more irrational jealousy on my part, no extra clinging on Blair's part. Everything is fine, back to normal." 

"Normal! You call that normal?" He pointed and Jim looked out the window. Blair was talking with Rafe. At that moment, as if feeling his partner's eyes on him, Blair looked up. Even though Blair couldn't see as clearly as he could, their eyes met, and Blair gave him a blinding smile. 

A flutter of contentment settled in the place that belonged only to Blair. "Ah, yeah Simon, I don't see what the problem is." 

"Of course you don't. With you he's fine, but any other time, he's... well he's ...just pay attention, and I expect you to undo whatever you did. I want the old Sandburg back." 

"Sure Captain." Jim's tone was humoring, and Simon glared at him before shoving the cigar back into his mouth and waving a dismissing hand. 

* * *

Over the next few days Simon wasn't the only one that approached Jim. He got asked ten times a day what was wrong with Blair. Everybody jumped on the bandwagon, from Rhonda to Dresser in traffic, to Mrs. Fredia at the corner store. It was his turn to play observer. 

His partner was polite, helpful, friendly even, but the light that used to shine through was being deliberately banked. Part of Blair's interaction with other people was flirting, be it man, woman, child or dog. He turned his focus on them like they were the center of the universe. Jim remembered telling his partner that it was a problem, that it bothered him. He winced as he remembered Blair's hurt look. With all the other things going on, he assumed that Blair would take all of his actions with a grain of salt, but apparently the younger man had taken his words to heart. 

Not that there wasn't a grain of truth to it. A part of him, the throwback, wished it was just him and Blair alone in the jungle somewhere. Wished he never had to watch his partner smile at someone else or put his hand on someone else. Never see him devote his attention to someone else or turn those eyes on someone else, but those actions were as natural to Blair as breathing, a genetic survival trait inherited directly from Naomi Sandburg. 

He'd seen Blair brighten up the entire bullpen when he walked in, and now his fellow officers watched him with a faintly puzzled air, as if they knew something was missing, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it. He shined fully only with Jim, and it was like a switch had been flipped on when they were together. 

Simon was right, he did have to find a way to fix things. The only problem was, Sandburg was the fixer in the family. He obviously needed help, and since Simon was useless, that left only one other person. 

Jim spied the Aussie exchange officer in the break room and headed over to her. 

"Hi Jim." 

"Megan, can I talk to you for a minute. About Blair?" 

A hunted look entered her eyes and she looked around for the nearest escape route. Jim knew she was spooked from the last time he'd talked to her about Blair, and practically cried all over her. Not to mention suspecting her of going after him. 

"Listen Megan, I know I had some issues before, but the ceremony took care of all that,really." 

She still looked wary as she gestured for him to sit down. "Okay mate, what's up?" 

* * *

Jim looked over at Blair, opened his mouth to speak, swallowed and closed it again. He could do this. He could. Megan was right. All he had to do was tell Blair that he didn't mind the way Blair behaved. That he wanted him to act the way he used to. 

"What's up Jim?" Blair put down that month's issue of S.M.M. magazine, where he'd been checking out the latest installment of his article, and turned to his lover. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You've been staring at me all day, and not in a _I can't wait to jump your bones way, more like a I shrank your favorite sweater in the wash_ way." 

Jim took a deep breath. "Look Chief, I... people have been saying...what I mean is..." 

"Hey, I told you to stay away from those Woody Allen movies man." His smile faded, and he put a hand on Jim's knee. "Just spit it out big guy, nothing we can't handle together right?" 

Jim slid his hand over Blair's. "I want you to start flirting again." 

"What?" He stared at his lover in shock. 

"I mean start, you know, acting normal." 

"Jim, man are you losing it? You just told me a week ago, that it drove you crazy." 

"I know, but I didn't mean it." 

Blair cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at his partner. 

"Okay, maybe I did, but it's okay. I mean, it's part of you, and I love you, so, it's okay. Okay." 

"Are you _okay_? Cause you're weirding me out here man." 

"No, I mean it Chief. I want you to be happy." 

"Jim I am happy. I don't need to _flirt_ with everybody I meet for that. Look, with all the traveling Naomi and I did, it just made things simpler if you could get people to like you right away. Same thing at school, and even teaching. It helps if your students like you, and you don't have long to establish the way things are going to go. It was just a habit I got into, but I don't need it. Not if it worries you or makes you unhappy." He took Jim's face between his hands, placing a soft kiss on his lover's lips. 

"Hey man, you're the cake here, everything else is icing. Without you, it's just fluff, it's not worth anything." 

* * *

He cornered Megan in the break room again the next day. "It didn't work, he didn't believe me." 

"Well, how convincing were you? I mean _I_ don't believe you Jim." 

Jim sighed. "I tried to be. What do I do now?" 

"Who am I Dear Ruth?" 

"Who?" 

"You know, the short little lady sex therapist." 

"Oh, Dr. Ruth." 

"Whatever, you'd just better be glad I love Sandy so much- and I mean that in a strictly platonic way. Okay look, it's obvious that you're happy with the way things are now. Sandy can see that as well." 

Jim shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable at being confronted with the truth. "Is it so wrong to want him to belong to me alone?" 

Megan put a hand on his arm. "Come on Jim, I think Sandy has always belonged to you. I've known you guys what, two years, and I'll admit, if you promise not to kill me, that I was attracted to him, but it was obvious from the beginning that he was yours and you were his, and that all I'd ever get from him would be a roll in the hay. I knew eventually the two of you would figure it out yourselves. Now you have. Jim you don't have to worry about losing Sandy, just let him be himself." 

"Logically I know that, and I know that the way he is isn't about sex, I just..." He sighed. "So, how do I convince him?" 

"Well if tell didn't work, try show." 

"Conner, you're turning into Sandburg on me. A little less cryptic please?" 

"Show him that you love him just the way he is. You know, give him flowers or candy, play romantic music and dance with him." 

Jim frowned. He was about to tell Conner she needed to spend less time reading Harlequins, when he remembered the way Blair had reacted to a gift from a secret admirer. A sweater that, Jim had to admit, looked great on Blair. It had also caused major problems, and his lover had donated it to a homeless shelter. 

He was skeptical, but maybe Conner was right about showing Blair how he felt. Not flowers and candy though, definitely not his style, or Sandburg's. He'd save those for Megan if her advice fixed things. 

* * *

Blair froze when he saw the box on his desk, his memory immediately going back to the trouble he and Jim had when they'd first gotten together, and he'd received an anonymous gift. He'd assumed the gift was from Jim, but it had been from a fellow rookie who'd developed a crush on him. 

The whole situation had escalated into a nightmare with he and Jim actually breaking up over it. He picked up the box, turning it in his hand, glad that Jim was in court that morning. He almost didn't open it, but he figured if this was another secret admirer he needed to nip it in the bud now. 

He lifted the lid to reveal a beautiful silver hair clasp, the delicate pattern embracing a wolf's head. Under the clasp was a note. He unfolded it slowly. 

//Amazed: overwhelmed, as by wonder. To be astonished. 

I couldn't tell fact from fiction, or if my dream was true. The only sure prediction in this whole world was you. Everytime our eyes meet, this feeling inside me is more than I can take. In Every thing that you do, I'm amazed by you. 

J.// 

His thumb rubbed over the design as he stared at the note, his heart filling up with joy until it burst out in a brilliant smile that made Rhonda sigh from her desk, and shake her head once again in regret at the fact that the two finest men in Major Crimes were involved with each other. 

The second note he found in his former room. It now served as an office slash mini-library and storeroom for all the stuff that had come from his office at Rainier. 

Sitting on top of his laptop, was a large black ceramic cat, made into a planter, and filled with various herbs. He inhaled a sprig of lemon balm, before picking up the note that sat propped against it. 

//I'd touched your features inchly, heard love and dared the cost. When you touch me, I can feel how much you love me, and it just blows me away. I've never been this close to anyone or anything. I can hear your thoughts; I can see your dreams. 

J.// 

The third note was on the counter, along with a carved cedar box containing a collection of his favorite herbal teas. He sat at the table, sipping on a peppermint blend as he opened it. 

//The scented spiel reeled me unreal, and found my senses lost. The smell of your skin, the taste of your kiss, the way you whisper in the dark. Your hair all around me, you surround me, touch every place in my heart.// 

J.// 

Jim had to have done all this before he left for court this morning, and Blair had no idea how he'd gotten the first gift on his desk at work. He sighed in frustration. Trust Jim to do this to him, when he had no way to get to his lover. Jim was in court all day. He'd left messages on his voice mail, but so far Jim hadn't returned his calls. His partner was going to be in big trouble when he got home. After twenty or thirty hours of fucking him senseless, Blair was going to give him a piece of his mind, if he had any left. 

* * *

The minute the door closed behind him, a blur shot from the office, and Jim was bombarded by the scent, sound, touch and taste of his mate as Blair attacked him, knocking him back against the door and gluing their mouths together. 

They were so caught up, it took them a minute to acknowledge the loud and pointed throat clearing going on in front of them. 

Blair pulled away from Jim and looked over to where their Captain stood, arms folded. "Sorry Simon, I didn't see you." His naughty grin was one reserved especially for Simon. The _I know I was bad, but I'm too cute to punish_ look that Simon hadn't seen in a while. 

He tried to maintain his gruffness, but they both knew it was faked. "No kidding Sandburg, do you think you could leave your partner enough oxygen to finish giving me the information I need." 

"Sure. Can I get you a beer or something?" 

Simon shook his head, looking pointedly at where the two were still entwined, and clearing his throat again. "No, I have to stop by my apartment, then I'm headed back to the station." 

Jim pulled reluctantly away from Blair, and motioned Simon towards the sofa. Blair sat a beer in front of Jim and a bottle of water in front of Simon, before settling on the sofa next to Jim, his feet tucked under him, thigh resting casually against his partner's. 

They spent about 1/2 an hour going over the file on the case that Jim was testifying on in court, then Simon stood up to leave, giving them one last mock glare as he slid on his jacket. 

"Enjoy your weekend gentlemen, and I expect everything to be back to normal my Monday, or, in your case..." 

They both grinned at him, and said in unison, "We know... as normal as we ever get." 

* * *

They were stretched out on the sofa, wrapped in each other's arms. They still hadn't made it upstairs yet, the urgency with which Blair had attacked Jim had been mitigated by Simon's presence, and after he left, Jim had showered and joined his partner on the sofa. 

He had no idea why sitting in court all day was more tiring than doing actual work, but it was. He ran his hand up and down Blair's back, idly tracing intricate patterns in the bunched cotton of his tee shirt. 

"Jim, why the gifts, and the notes?" 

"Because." 

Blair raised up, eyeing his partner in bemusement. "Because what?" 

He felt the shrug under him more than saw it. "Just because." 

"Jim?" 

"Ask me again tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow?" Blair was really confused now, and starting to worry a little at his lover's very out of character behavior. Not that Jim didn't love him, he knew he did, but he wasn't exactly the most demonstrative person in the world, at least not romantically. 

"Jim this isn't anything bad is it? I mean the gifts aren't because you're planning on running away to the Bahamas with Linda or something right?" 

"Who?" 

"Linda, the food cart lady." 

"Oh." Trust Sandburg to know her name. He'd worked there five years before Blair ever came along, and she was still the food cart girl to him. Just another sign that he was doing the right thing. 

"Jim?" 

"Oh, no, no Bahamas. It's nothing bad, at least I hope you don't think so." 

"Okay, so what's tomorrow?" 

"I was thinking since we had the weekend off, we could, ah..." 

Blair looked at Jim curiously, wondering at his hesitation, and ... was that a blush? "We could ah...?" His voice was teasing, wondering what strange sex game Jim wanted to play that had him blushing. 

"I thought maybe we could, you know, celebrate our anniversary. I know we did the whole ceremony thing, but that was really more a Sentinel/Guide thing. Not really _us,_ so I thought maybe..." 

Blair was speechless for a moment, his heart swelling with the love he had for the man laying next to him. "Yeah, that'd be nice." His voice was soft. 

Nice was a major understatement to how Blair felt about the idea, about everything going on, but for once he was the one without words. 

* * *

The first thing he saw were the candles. Their soft glow bathed the roof in a golden light. A classically romantic table stood, wine, candles, flowers. Soft jazz surrounded the whole thing in soothing rhythms. And his Sentinel stood in the middle of it all, in Dress slacks and a blue silk shirt that reflected the color of his eyes. Eyes that watched slightly anxiously as his lover took it all in. 

"Jeez Jim, it's ..." 

"Okay Chief?" 

"More than okay, it's incredible." 

Jim smiled then, and stepped forward, pulling Blair into his arms for a warm kiss. "Happy anniversary babe." 

"Happy anniversary Jim." 

* * *

Blair watched Jim's face light up like a little boy's as he opened the card, and two Jag's season tickets fell out. 

"This is fantastic babe! Simon is going to be so jealous. I'm going to have to start rearranging our schedule." 

"Those tickets aren't for us Jim." 

"What." His face fell. 

"No, I mean they're for _you_ , not us. Don't get me wrong, I expect you to take me to some of the games, but take Simon, take Stephen, hell take Megan. I want you to enjoy them and not worry about making sure my schedule is free too, especially when I'm running near deadline." 

"I will, but I won't enjoy them as much without you. No one to pull over and neck with on the way home." 

Blair gave him a mock glare. "There'd better not be. If I see anyone in Major Crimes with a Sentinel shaped hickey mister..." 

* * *

"Oh Jim. You didn't have to you know." Blair reached into the box and pulled out the sky blue Cashmere sweater. It was very similar to the one that had caused problems between them so many months ago. Blair had loved the sweater, but given a choice between it, and Jim, it had been at the homeless shelter in a matter of hours. 

"You looked really good in that sweater Chief, and I wanted it to be, I don't know, a symbol, of how far we are from then. I wanted to let you know, that I trust you. I do." He grinned ruefully, "It's everybody else I'm not sure of, but I don't want you to stop being you because of it." 

"Jim, I told you I don't care about..." 

Jim put a hand over his lover's mouth, halting his words. "I know who's most important to you. So I can afford to be generous and share a little. Do you believe me?" 

Blair nodded. 

"Good. Now for your real gift." 

Blair raised an eyebrow. "What was the sweater then man?" 

Jim shrugged sheepishly. "It was your _safe_ gift." 

"Safe gift?" 

"Yeah, in case I didn't have the courage to give you what I really want to." 

Blair snorted. "Oh yeah, that's me, big bad scary Blair." 

"You are scary Chief. You took a big, grumpy, cop and house trained him. I mean whose scarier, the monster, or Dr. Frankenstein, the man who created him." 

"Okay, I admit it. I am all powerful, so how come I still have to clean the grout in the bathroom with a toothbrush?" 

"Believe me Chief, if you could see the stuff that's there, you'd be glad to, besides, an old man like me, my knees can't take it." 

"I'll remind you of that tonight." 

"Hey babe, what can I say. Some things are worth a little pain." 

They linked hands for a moment, suddenly serious, and Jim slid a thick envelope towards Blair. 

Blair swallowed hard once, before he pulled his hand away from Jim's and opened it. Inside was a copy of the deed to the loft, with both of their names on it. 

"I made you my beneficiary a long time ago Chief, but after what happened with Alex... well let's just say that next time you get to put me out." 

Blair looked up at him, eyes glistening. "There won't _be_ a next time man." 

"No." He reached over and recaptured Blair's hand, running his thumb soothingly over the back. "I wanted you to know that this was your home, no matter what, not just because of us, but because it wasn't a home until you came." 

"Why Jim? I mean the notes, all this." He gestured towards the set up. "Don't get me wrong, I love it, but you're not Mr. Romance." 

Jim shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "That's why. I wanted to be romantic for you. I wanted to court you." 

Blair moved closer, wrapping his arms around the larger man. "I'm already yours Jim, I don't need to be courted. I love you the way you are big guy, it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into, and I'm happy with what I got. A guy who shows me every day how much he loves me. A guy who throws his arm across me during high-speed chases, and buys the ingredients for my algae shakes even though the smell makes him sick. A guy who never once raised his voice at my mother even when she rearranged all his furniture, and helped rearranged his life." 

Jim pulled back, tilting Blair's head up until blue eyes met his. "You deserve to be courted Blair. We sort of fell together, and it was easy because of what we already shared, but I don't ever want you to think that I take you for granted, or that this is about us being Sentinel and Guide, because it's not. If I'd met you five years ago, or ten, before the senses kicked in, I'd have loved you. I meant what I said, and what the notes said for me. I am amazed by you and the fact that you love me. Everyday I'm amazed." 

"Wow. I don't know what to say except thank you." He looked down at the copy of the deed sitting on the table then back up at his lover, his eyes bright. "I've known a lot of people in my life, but nobody's ever really loved me. Not the _stay around forever_ kind of love." 

Jim ran a thumb across faintly trembling lips, his eyes intense. "Stay forever." 

They held each other close a long moment, then Blair took a deep breath and pulled away. He went over to the chair and reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a ring box. He turned back to Jim with a sheepish grin. "The tickets were my safety gift too." 

His expression turned serious as Jim took the box and opened it, revealing two gold rings, each one a heart clasped in hands and topped with a crown. Neither said anything for a moment, and Blair cleared his throat nervously. "Buffy picked them up for me when we were in Sunnydale." He'd seen them in a jewelry store window when he and Jim were playing tourist, and had asked Buffy to go back and pick them up for him. He remembered the young Slayer's expression as he described the rings, one of pain and wistful longing. She wished him the luck she hadn't had with the rings. 

"The hands are for friendship, the crown, loyalty, and the heart, love." 

Jim nodded, still looking down at the rings. "I know. It's a Irish wedding ring right?" 

Blair nodded. "Yeah, but you don't... It's a friendship ring too, it doesn't have to mean..." 

"What do you want it to mean Chief?" 

Blue eyes met his finally, a question in them. Blair swallowed hard, taking a leap of faith and counting on his friend, partner and lover to catch him. "Everything. I want it to mean that I belong to you and you belong to me, and that we're together for this ride no matter what. When we argue, when we do stupid things, when we hurt each other. I want us to be able to look at the rings and know that in the end, nothing else matters except these three things that we share." 

Jim nodded, taking the smaller ring out of the box and sliding it onto Blair's left ring finger, heart facing in, meaning he was taken. Blair did the same, running a hand tenderly down Jim's face, placing a light kiss on his lips. 

"I want it to mean that even though the cop stuff takes over sometimes, and even though the Sentinel stuff takes over sometimes, when it comes down to a choice, it will always be us, Jim and Blair, that's the most important thing." 

Jim ran his thumb over the symbol on the ring, his eyes never leaving his lovers. "All that huh?" 

Blair nodded, face solemn, but eyes twinkling with a joy he couldn't supress. "All that." 

"I can do that." 

"Good." He pulled the larger man into his arms, their lips meeting in a tender kiss. 

"Hey Chief, it's engraved, what does it say?" 

"You can feel that? Cool, I wonder if..." Jim put fingers over his lover's lips to halt the enthusiastic flow, an amused smile on his face. Blair blushed slightly. 

"Sorry, uhm, one of the legends has it that the one of the first known Claddaugh was found in the wreck of a Spanish galleon that went down near the coast of Ireland. It was on the hand of a sailor, and it was engraved with the phrase _No tengo nada, porque darte._ That's what your's says." 

Jim's eyes grew thoughtful. "I have nothing, because it is given to you.?" 

"Yeah," Blair shrugged, a faint blush on his cheeks. "Sappy huh? But it's true." 

"What's true is that I love you Chief, more than anything else. More than my life." A soft kiss on full lips punctuated his statement. " I don't know what I ever did right to deserve you, God knows I haven't been the best person, or had the best luck, but you make up for everything bad that ever happened in my life, and I promise to do my best to make sure you're not sorry." 

Blair captured Jim's face in his hands, tilting it down slightly so that his eyes met the other man's head on. "With my last breath I whispered your name, with my first I saw your face. Not even death can separate me and thee, remember? I've never had what we have, and nothing can compare to it. With you, when I'm happy, I'm twice as happy, and when I'm sad, I'm only half as sad. Jim I promise you that despite everything that's happened, and no matter what happens in the future, I'll never be sorry." 

* * *

End

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